NCAA® Division I softball candidates announced for 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award

February 15, 2012

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OVERLAND PARK, KS – Thirty NCAA® softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates today for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The 2012 candidate class includes six CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-Americans from last season and 12 student-athletes with cumulative grade point averages of 3.5 or higher. Three candidates were Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-Americans in 2011, 13 candidates are on teams ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason top 25, and five participated in last year’s NCAA Women’s College World Series®.

Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winner during the 2012 NCAA Women’s College World Series, which will be held May 31-June 6 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, Division I head coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. ?

Softball 2012 Candidates

Name Position School
Valerie Arioto Pitcher/First Base California
Gracie Barstad Third Base Western Michigan
Emily Bledsoe Infield Texas Tech
Katelyn Boyd Shortstop Arizona State
Rachel Brown Pitcher Harvard
Ashley Burnham Shortstop James Madison
Molly Coldren Infield Central Michigan
Kacee Cox Catcher/1B St. John’s
Mallory Duran-Sellers Outfielder Southern Illinois
Bree Evans Outfield Michigan
Julie Fernandez First Base Lehigh
Michelle Fuzzard Pitcher/Designated Player Chattanooga
Chelsea Garcia Shortstop Oklahoma State
Molly Garst Infielder Purdue
Ashley Guile Infield Nebraska
Ashley Hagemann Pitcher Nebraska
Ashley Hansen Short Stop Stanford
Shayla Jackson Outfield Florida State
Natalie Land Shortstop Central Florida
Brittany Mack Pitcher LSU
Ashley McClain OF/P Florida International
Jen Mineau Pitcher Fordham
Adrienne Monka First Base Northwestern
Michelle Moultrie Center Field Florida
Christi Orgeron Outfielder Louisiana
Cassie Reilly-Boccia Outfield/First Base Alabama
Stephanie Ricketts Pitcher Hawai‘i
Rachel Riley P/DP Kentucky
Liz Watkins Catcher Iowa
Niki Williams Utility Washington